- Date
- November 7, 1989, 18:05 local (22:05 UTC)
- Place
- Birchwood, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N714MSCessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19891107044709A
- Case key
- 5321
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain proper runway alignment during the takeoff roll. Related factors were: dark night, snow covered runway, inadequate snow removal from the runway by personnel (who were responsible for snow removal), and the snowbank (berm).
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt rprtd that before he started his takeoff, he could see rwy lights at the FAR end of the rwy. He aligned the acft for takeoff by referencing the snow berms (beside the rwy) & by sighting down the rwy. The takeoff roll seemed normal until he rotated the acft for lift-off. As the acft lifted off, it struck the snow berm on the right side of the rwy & nosed over. An investigation revealed that arpt psnl had plowed the right berm at a 20 deg angle away from centerline of the rwy to a point where it was allowed to angle back abruptly toward the runway. The acdnt occurred where the right berm angled sharply to the left.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N714MS
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15079286
- Engine
- Continental O-235, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Darren A. Delaney
- Registered owner
- Gary Beu
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Z15
- Airport
- Z15 · Birchwood, runway 19, 4,010 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 296 total · 22 in this make and model · 272 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 19 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.